Exactly 8 days ago, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the United State's 45th president. Under normal circumstances, I would have watched. But on January 20th, I chose instead to go on a detox. Even if it was just for a day, I figured no television + no news = less bullshit. So my TV stayed off all day. I diverted my eyes from screens on the subway or street. I temporarily turned off push notifications on my phone. I didn't read the news or check Feedly (my fave news aggregator app). I stayed away from Twitter. If I checked Facebook, I focused exclusively on connecting with friends.

It was the first time in my adult life that I opted to boycott an event of such national and political significance. As someone who believes deeply in the importance of tuning into your surroundings and the world at large, I anticipated feeling guilty. However, I was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen. Instead, my information detox was empowering, clarifying, and cleansing. It was an act of radical self-care for myself and a symbol of my resolve going forward. It was also an act of protest, silent in comparison to the ones I hope to be part of in the future but powerful in intention. By reclaiming my mental space, I vowed to protect myself from negativity in order to make room for positivity and productivity. Many of the fronts I've been fighting on or advocating for are causes I've cared about for a long time, but January 20th marked a renewal of that commitment.

Despite your political leaning, I think it goes without saying that the 2016 election cycle was tumultuous, frightening, and outright zany. A lot of hateful statements that I hoped to never hear from any human being's mouth, nonetheless the president elect's, were uttered. I lost count of the accusations lobbed against him and the childish verbal threats he launched back. Scandal and controversy emerged seemingly without pause. Trump's deplorable actions and words served directly as fodder to news outlets at the ready to distill headlines to the American people.

Since I've never been one to keep my mouth shut when it comes to justice or things I care about, I couldn't stop myself from reacting and feeling deeply for those harmed by Trump's messages. Over time, this took a devastating toll on my wellbeing. Processing everything he said or did depleted all of my reserve energy and robbed me of my ability to focus on other topics. Having to put on a smile at work on days when I just wanted to crumple to the floor wore away at my willpower. The disappointment I felt from not being equipped to do more than post my opinion or stance on Facebook ate away at my good intentions. Interaction with other people even began to feel effortful and demoralizing as a predictable pattern emerged - regardless of topic, there was always a turning point in conversation when someone would mention his name.

He was truly inevitable.

So approximately 4 months ago when it became apparent that he might just win it all, I started thinking - really thinking - about what was going on and what I wanted to do from here on out. Aside from casting my vote and encouraging others to do the same, what was I going to do? How could I prepare? What was my personal Plan B in the event that my worse case scenario came true?

When I took a step back to examine what he had done to the country in the span of a year, it was incredibly eye-opening to see the chaos he had orchestrated. In a world where we can't stop ourselves from watching train wrecks, where we can't peel our eyes away from our screens, where we can't help but respond at lightning speed to stimuli, Trump had us exactly where he wanted us. By bombarding us with so much content, without any regard for truth or falsehood, he overloaded our senses, triggering our emotional responses over and over. At best, our emotions can spur us into action and bring people together. But at worst, they have a way of clouding our minds and weighing us down if we let them. With enough time, our emotions can weaken us if we don't pay attention and especially if we don't make time to take care of ourselves. When you're overcome with despair, you're incapacitated. When you're incapacitated, you're rendered immobile. Immobile people can't organize movements, strategically plan, connect with others, or fight effectively. Trump's tactics and behavior would suggest that he was banking on just that.

The above realization really lit a fire in me. Over the course of the last year, I had poured so much energy into being angry and criticizing his incompetence, but I had nothing to show for it. It became clear to me that none of it really matters unless I take decisive action.

Unless we each decide for ourselves as individuals to take our tears, feelings, and rants out into the community.

Unless we vow to put ourselves on the line for our beliefs in ways we never did before.

Unless we protect one another and empower other voices to join our movements.

Unless we got up off our soapboxes, mobilized. and started talking to each other in person.

Regardless of whether our plans are perfect. Even if we don't necessarily know the right path forward right away.

Now, whenever I felt exhausted, I instead channel that energy into learning. I started doing research, signing up for newsletters, and bookmarking news outlets, websites, and blogs that I could rely on. I began to identify people in my network who I felt I could turn to for guidance or support. I got really freakin' clear about my beliefs and prioritized the issues I felt deserved my energy the most. I maintained my yoga practice, viewing each class as a way of practicing openness, compassion, and empathy for others.

I decided that I wasn't going to just get angry on the sidelines anymore. Instead, if something makes me feel weak, I'd like to react by doing something strong. One thing that makes me feel damn strong is getting out into the community where our individual acts of resistance can inspire others to do the same in their own ways. The momentum since Inauguration Day has been great, but lasting movements are built on the backs of people prepared to actually execute.

So let's act!

From here on out, I'd like to use my personal website as a platform for sharing organizations, links, resources, and events that I'm either interested in, part of, or believe in. The list will span the full spectrum of diverse topics I care about, some of which will be more relevant to current events than others. My goal is write a new blog post at least twice a month to share these resources or to write about experiences on the frontline of my activism. If you'd like to talk or discuss ways to collaborate on something together, feel free to contact me!

Useful Links

Audrie & Daisy: A Netflix Documentary by Bonnie Cohen and John Shenk - "An urgent real-life drama that examines the ripple effects on families, friends, schools and communities when two underage young women find that sexual assault crimes against them have been caught on camera."

Jigsaw by Google - "We’re an incubator within Alphabet that builds technology to tackle some of the toughest global security challenges facing the world today—from thwarting online censorship to mitigating the threats from digital attacks to countering violent extremism to protecting people from hate and harassment online."